Free throw shooting helps Unionville pull away
EAST MARLBOROUGH >> With the star players from Unionville and Garnet Valley suffering through difficult shooting nights, there was plenty of opportunity for somebody to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Elle Johnson scored 13 points in the second half as the ninth-seeded Longhorns took control in the fourth quarter en route to a 49-38 victory over the No. 20 Jaguars in the District 1 6A Playbacks on Wednesday.
Unionville (21-6) will take on Abington in the ninth-place game on Friday, while Garnet (15-12) will face Conestoga for 11th place.
“If I had hair, it would be falling out now,” said Unionville coach Fred Ellzy. “Playoff basketball, everybody comes with their ‘A’ game and if you don’t do what you’re supposed to do, you can be down quick, like we were.”
The game was tied 28-28 early in the fourth quarter, before the Longhorns went on a 21-10 run to end the game, holding the Jaguars to a lone field goal in the stanza. Unionville was impressive from the free-throw line, making 12-of-14 in the fourth to lift Unionville.
Unionville went on a 6-0 run to build a 39-30 lead with 4:20 left, punctuated by a layup by Milana Flores off a steal.
Garnet Valley star Haylie Adamski had a miserable evening. She was held to seven points on 2-of-16 shooting. She missed her first eight attempts and fouled out with 1:01 left in the game.
“All the credit to Unionville,” said Garnet Valley coach Joe Woods. “They had a nice defensive plan against her. It didn’t help in our last game we lost our starting point guard, so a lot more reponsibility fell on the rest of team, especially Haylie.”
Allie D’Angelo harrassed Adamski most of the night, following her around the court and getting in her face.
“Allie is as tough as nails,” said Ellzy. “She enjoys that stuff. I know she’s a physical player and I know she will be physical with Adamski.”
Savannah Saunders picked up the slack for Garnet with 16 points.
“Savannah really stepped up and played her heart out,” added Woods.
Meanwhile, Angstadt also had her struggles, making just two field goals and tallying eight points overall.
“When we’re not making our outside shots, we just drive to the basket and that’s what we did,” said Johnson. “As we started to play as a team and started scoring more, it picked up the energy.”
Garnet got off to to a good start, Saunders scored the team’s first seven points as they posted an 11-2 lead after one.
Unionville turned it around in the second, outscoring the Jaguars, 11-4, in the quarter — scoring the final seven points — to cut the deficti to 15-13 at halftime.
Neither team had more than a three-point lead in the third. Johnson had seven points in the stanza and Maddie Baughn added a huge three-pointer — her second of the game. When Adamski hit a driving, off-balance jumper at the buzzer, Garnet held a slim 28-26 agvantage.
“These girls are having so much fun,” said Ellzy. “They’re so close, they’re such friends and that carries onto the court.
“Right now, we’re playing with house money. We’re enjoying the experience, the girls are having fun and we’re taking it one game at a time.”
Unionville 49, Garnet Valley 38
Garnet Valley: Saunders 5 5-10 16; Adamski 2 3-3 7; Daubenberger 1 2-2 4; Dwyer 1 0-0 2; Sigston 1 0-0 2; L. Zipperlen 1 2-2 4; Hunter 0 0-1 1; Ung 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 12-18 38.
Unionville: Lang 0 4-4 4; D’Angelo 2 0-0 4; Amoss 4 0-0 8; Johnson 5 2-2 13; Angstadt 2 4-6 8; Megill 0 2-2 2; Menninger 1 0-2 2; Baughn 2 2-2 8. Totals: 16 14-18 49
Garnet Valley 11 4 13 10 — 38
Unionville 2 11 13 23 — 49
3-point goals: Saunders, Baughn 2, Johnson.
